Wednesday 21 December 2016
Joey woke up and found Lauren wasn't beside him. This was unlike her. She was hardly a morning person; in fact he usually had to physically drag her out of bed, like he had threatened to do the previous day. He looked at the time and saw it was seven in the morning. He thought back to the night before and remembered seeing the bruises on her body. He was worried about her. Yes, she'd tried to brush it off as clumsiness but there were a lot of bruises. Had someone hurt her? He heard her moving around the bathroom and she walked back into the room, wiping her mouth. His eyes locked again on the marks on her arm. As she climbed back into the bed he couldn't help but see the huge bruise on her thigh. He was still a little bothered by the present from the night before too... it hadn't been the same as her other gifts... and then there were the lies he was convinced she'd told him about where she'd been the day before.
She wriggled back against him and he wrapped his arms around her. Joey feigned being asleep but in reality everything was ticking over in his brain. He was unsure how long he'd been lying there before he spoke, "Lauren... we're okay, right?"
"Of course we are..." she whispered, snuggling further into him.
The room fell silent again for several minutes, "Are you going to tell me about the bruises?" he whispered.
"I told you about them last night, Joey... you know me... I'm just clumsy..." She told him, her hand stroking his arm softly. "I just bumped myself against my desk... and I caught my arm on the doorframe too." Joey pulled away from her and sat up. He grabbed a T-shirt and his boxers and threw them on. "Where are you going?" she whispered, rolling over to look at him as he climbed out of the bed.
"It's time to get up..." he said softly. "I'm going for a run... you want to come...?" he asked, glancing back at her over his shoulder.
"I'll give it a miss today, baby... I think something I ate didn't agree with me... I don't feel that good today."
Joey stared at her, noticing the way she wouldn't look at him. He took a deep breath and headed towards the door, "I won't be long... I've got to get to the club."
"I've got some work to do this morning... I've got lots to do before I finish on Friday."
"Okay... I'll see you later..." he said, walking out of the room and heading towards the front door.
"Is something wrong, Joe?" she said softly and Joey glanced back at her, seeing her with the sheet from the bed wrapped around her as she leant against the doorframe.
"There's nothing wrong, babe..." he said but neither of them believed the words he'd said. He left the flat and started his run.
*JL*JL*
Lauren looked down at her arm and winced at the bruise on her it. She really needed to be more careful. She slumped against the doorframe, moaning as it hit the sore spot on her thigh. She winced again and then turned back to the bedroom. Today was going to be a bad day, she could already tell.
*JL*JL*
Joey was silent when he came back from his run, just moving into the bathroom to go for a shower. He didn't say anything to Lauren and she watched him go past, looking down at her drink and wishing there was something she could say to clear this up; something that didn't involve lying to him.
*JL*JL*
Joey walked out of their bedroom, now ready for work. He glanced around and realised Lauren must be in the spare room. He poked his head around the door and saw her head leaning on her hands at her desk. He walked into the kitchen and made her some toast. He knew she wouldn't have made herself any breakfast, not if she was feeling a bit ropey but he also knew she needed to eat something. He carried it into the spare room and placed it beside her.
She glanced at the plate and then at him. He had to admit she looked a bit rough, "I don't know if I can eat that, Joey..." she whispered.
Joey sighed, "Are you going to talk to me about it?" he asked her, a hint of defeat in his tone.
"About what?" she said hesitantly.
"You know what?"
"I really don't, Joey."
"The bruises... the feeling sick... If I didn't know better, I'd say you were hung over."
Lauren stared at him, her face even paler than it had been. "You think I'm hung over?" she whispered. "I told you about the bruises... and I've just got a bit of a delicate stomach..."
"The only time I've seen you be clumsy like this is when you've been drunk, babe..."
"I thought we trusted each other..." she said sadly.
"We do..."
"It doesn't sound like you trust me, Joey... it sounds like you're accusing me of drinking again..."
"I'm not... I just don't understand..."
Lauren stared at him, swallowing the guilt at lying to him, "Don't you have to get to work...?" she said, turning back to her own work.
"Don't you think we should talk about this?"
"What's there to talk about, Joey? You already seem to have decided all of the answers..." she said, picking up a pencil and starting to look at her notes for the drawings she had to do.
Joey stared at her, knowing in his heart that he had just fucked up, big time. "I'll be back at lunch time, babe..."
"Don't bother coming back here if you're just going to accuse me again, Joey." Lauren murmured as Joey turned and started to walk out of the room. Joey paused, taking in what she'd just said and feeling even worse. He walked out of the room, deciding that maybe some space would be the best thing for them both. He left the flat moments later, his head down as he tried to get his head round everything that had happened in the last twelve hours.
*JL*JL*
Lauren put her pencil down as she heard the front door shut behind him. She couldn't help the tears that fell down her face as she broke down and began to sob. Why couldn't things be simple?
*JL*JL*
By lunch time Lauren had had plenty of time to think about things and she had come to a couple of realisations. She walked down the stairs at R&R's and found Joey by the bar, opening some boxes of vodka. She had a distinct feeling of déjà vu and she hoped this time would go a little more to plan that it did last time she'd done this. "Joey..." she whispered and he turned to face her. She couldn't hold back the giggle when she saw the bottle of vodka in each of his hands... just like last time.
He glanced down at his hands and then put the bottles down on the bar, "Sorry..."
"It's me who should be sorry, Joey. I thought everything through from this morning and I realised that I can understand why you came to the conclusions you did..." she whispered.
"You look better now than you did this morning..."
"I feel better than I did. I ate the toast you made me and it settled my stomach. I went back to bed for an hour too... and that helped a lot." She told him softly. She held up her hand, "I brought us lunch..." she told him, "It's the least I could do..." she whispered.
"Thanks babe..." he said and Lauren stepped forward, passing him the paper bag with their lunches inside. Joey wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into him, kissing the top of her head softly. "I'm sorry, Lauren..." he told her, "I should've..."
"Joey, stop..." she said, pulling away from him slightly and looking up at his face, "I understand why you said something to me... I'm glad you did... I've thought about it and it was the right thing for you to do. You should confront me if you think I've slipped." She lowered her head and took a deep breath, "I can promise you I'm not drinking again, Joey... I swear..."
"I believe you, Lauren... I wasn't sure I ever really thought you were. I was with you last night and I know you didn't drink then. It just felt like you were….." his words faded and he felt bad for what he wanted to say. He didn't want to cause another argument.
"Lying..." she whispered, completing his sentence, "You thought I was lying... to you..." she added. She could see his answer in his eyes but he didn't move. "I was..." she murmured, seeing the devastation on his face when she said those words, "but I've just been arranging something for your gift tomorrow. That's where I got the bruises from. I'm sorry for worrying you."
"I'm sorry for doubting you..." he said softly, his hand lifting and pushing her hair back from her face and tucking it behind her ear.
"I know, Joey..." she kissed his hand tenderly, "Let's eat our lunch, okay?"
"Sure." He led her over to one of the couches at the far side of the room and they sat side by side and Lauren opened the lunch, pulling out the filled rolls she'd brought them both. Joey smiled as he saw it was his favourite filling and he kissed her temple softly, "Thanks babe..." he breathed against her skin.
They ate in silence but there was none of the tension from earlier. Joey could see that Lauren looked much better than she had a couple of hours earlier and he was relieved. She definitely seemed to be chirpier than she had been and that made Joey feel better. She cleared away once they'd both eaten and Joey watched her. He saw a glimpse of her bruised arm poking out from beneath the top she was wearing and when she turned back she saw him looking at it. "It's fine, Joey..." she whispered. "It's just a bruise... it'll fade"
"I just don't like to think of you getting hurt..." he murmured, his hand lifting and stroking the mark on her skin tenderly. He looked up at her face, seeing her watching him intently, "I have to admit I'm intrigued what you've got planned for tomorrow..."
"Talking of plans..." she smirked changing the subject, "When am I getting my present for today?" she asked him.
Joey swooped his head down and kissed her softly, "In a couple of hours... when I get home from here."
"So you've got something planned then?" she asked.
"Of course I have, babe." He said. He pulled her towards him and lifted her so she was sitting on his lap, "Maybe we should just pretend the last few hours didn't happen," he murmured as he kissed her jaw.
Lauren moaned, "No Joey..." she said, pushing him away from her and his face looked like he'd just watched a puppy get kicked, "We can't... and shouldn't... pretend it didn't happen. I have a problem, Joey. We can't hide from it... it's not going away." She said, her hand brushing the side of his face, "Yes, I don't drink anymore... but that doesn't mean I'm not an alcoholic anymore. I'm always going to be one... and it would only take one drink for me to be right back at square one. I can't say that every day isn't a struggle... sometimes you're the only thing that gets me through the day, Joey." She whispered sadly, "But what I can tell you is that I will always come to you if it gets too much for me... and if you're not around, I'll go and see my counsellor. I know it's only just over three years but it is easier with you by my side." She said, smiling at him slightly. "I love you, Joseph Branning..." she whispered. "I hope you know that..."
"I do..." he said. He pulled her to him and kissed her deeply, his hands cupping both sides of her face. "I love you too..." he breathed against her mouth as they pulled apart.
*JL*JL*
Joey headed back towards the flat, feeling like everyone was staring at him as he walked past them. He let himself into the flat, "Babe...?" he called out.
"I'm in the bathroom..." she called back and he headed in that direction after taking off his jacket and hanging it up. He placed the things he'd brought home with him on the side in the kitchen.
He pushed open the ajar door and looked around it, "Hey..." he said, smiling as he saw her sitting, immersed in hot water and bubbles.
"Fancy joining me?" she whispered.
"Sure..." he said. He walked into the room and over to the side of the bath. He knelt beside it and gazed at her face. "I really love you, Lauren." he said softly.
"We had this discussion at lunchtime, baby..."
"I just want to make sure you believe me." He told her. "I'm so sorry for what I said this morning, Lauren..." he added and Lauren sat up so she was eye to eye with him. She could see the emotions on his face... in his eyes.
"It's done, Joey..." she told him softly. "Don't fester on it..." she said, "We had a fight, we made up... it's done." She repeated. "Now, did you say something about joining me?" she said, smirking at him.
"I will. But first, you need to shut your eyes..." he told her softly.
"It ain't something I haven't seen before, Joey..." she giggled as she obediently shut her eyes.
"Good girl," he whispered, kissing her gently before getting to his feet. He moved around the room and then he was back beside the bath. "Shift forward a little, babe..." he said, his hand caressing the top of her back as she hugged her knees against her chest. She moved a little and Joey climbed into the bath behind her. He pulled her back towards him and she leant against him, turning her head and kissing his chest. "You can open your eyes now..." he whispered.
She did and looked up at his face, "Such a pretty sight..." she breathed. He smiled at her. She looked around the room and found several lit candles scattered around the bath. "This is what I should've done last night..." she whispered sadly. "I just couldn't think of anything for it."
"I know, you said last night," he said softly. "It's fine, babe."
"Where's my present, Joey?" she asked after a couple of minute's silence.
"You'll get it when we get out of here..." he promised her.
"Well, in that case..." she said, moving out of his arms.
"Hey...!" he protested, pulling her back towards him, "there's no rush..." he said, his hands brushing over her body. She relaxed against him and they sat together, in complete contentment for several minutes. They didn't move out of the bath until the water had started to cool and Joey got out first and retrieved towels for them both, helping Lauren out of the bath and wrapping the towel around her. She shrieked as he lifted her in his arms and carried her through to their bedroom. In the space of ten minutes both of them had changed into comfortable clothes, although Lauren was wearing some of Joey's which swamped her. They walked into the lounge and Joey disappeared through to the kitchen while Lauren sat on the couch. Joey reappeared and Lauren looked up at him as he walked in. He was holding a huge bunch of flowers in front of his face and he peeked out from behind them. "Sorry..." he said softly. "again..."
"They're lovely, Joey... you really didn't need to..." She said as he passed them to her. She looked at the bunch and saw several red and white roses, surrounded by gypsophila and daisies. "I love them..." she whispered.
Joey walked around to the front of the sofa and sat beside her, his arm winding around her waist as he caressed her neck with his lips. "Do you want your present now?" he murmured.
"Of course, I do..." she said quickly.
He handed her a bag from the Minute Mart and Lauren looked at him, frowning slightly. "Open it..." he whispered.
She did as he said and peered inside, "Chocolate!" she said.
"Dairy milk chocolate to be precise..." he told her, "Eight bars of it..."
"Are you trying to make me fat?" she asked repeating his exact words to her from her second gift to him, he smiled shaking his head.
"Never... just trying to fit the eight maids a milking theme... it was a tough one."
"Well, I guess I don't have to eat them all now... and it's always good to have some chocolate handy." She admitted.
"I thought we could watch movies for the rest of the afternoon... and maybe eat some of that chocolate..." he told her.
"That sounds really nice... What shall we watch?"
"You choose..." he told her. Lauren got to her feet and walked over to the DVDs they had. She smiled when she saw the one she wanted to watch and she pulled it out. She held it up in front of her as she turned to face the love of her life. "This will help towards today, don't you think?" she said with a smirk.
Joey looked at the DVD and Lauren didn't miss the slight blanch of his expression as he saw the chick flick she was suggesting but he manfully nodded his head and she put the disc for Bridesmaids into the machine. She walked back to the couch and sat next to Joey, leaning against him as the opening credits started.
*JL*JL*
Joey looked down at Lauren as their third movie ended, all of them had had a wedding theme to them and Joey loved her just a little bit more for attacking her 'problem' with a proverbial sledgehammer. She was asleep now and had been for a majority of the last film they'd watched, which Joey had still endured. He moved her slightly and slipped himself out from beneath her. He turned off the TV and put the DVDs away. Then he returned to Lauren and lifted her gently into his arms. She murmured his name and a 'love you' but stayed asleep. He carried her to their room and laid her carefully on the mattress, slowly removing her clothes from her sleeping body. Just a minute or two later he was lying beside her and she was back in his arms, "I love you too, babe. Happy eighth day of Christmas..." he said softly. He closed his eyes, glad that they'd managed to repair everything after their row this morning. He hoped he didn't stuff everything up again.
AN: Were any of you worried by the argument? I was when I wrote it... So I wonder what Lauren has planned for tomorrow? And is she the only one who's hiding things?
Let Eastendersfan444 and I know what you think... R&R as always
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Coming tomorrow... Nine Ladies Dancing by Eastenders Fan 444